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Rock Medicine is White Bird Clinic’s largest ongoing fundraising effort as well as being a valuable service in its own right. Each summer our highly trained staff volunteers give their time at events to provide services for event goers while raising money to support White Bird Clinic’s programs in Lane County.
White Bird has been providing event coverage for more than 45 years, ranging from small local community events to an annual weekend art & music celebration with 20,000 per day ticket sales, to week-long music festivals with over 60,000 patrons camping in remote locations where outside rapid response is unavailable and we are the EMS on site.
We offer medical and crisis intervention services coverage which includes all medical, mental health, substance abuse, and first aid services short of those requiring an ambulance and/or hospital response. We are equipped to respond to traumatic injury, respiratory and cardiac issues, heat exhaustion and dehydration and drug overdose, as well as more minor bandaging and first aid needs. A full half of our team consists of crisis counselors, social workers, therapists and addiction specialists, and we have special expertise in de-escalation of behavioral health crises and substance-induced psychosis or disorientation. While not a substitute for security staff, we will restrain when necessary to prevent harm to self or others due to a psychological crisis.
Eclipse Festival 2017
We supply all essential medications, resources (except golf cart), and both medical and general supplies needed to perform the job. We also bring some comfort supplies (analgesics, sunscreen, earplugs, etc.) to support the guests who forget to pack sensibly.
All of our staff hold credentials appropriate to their field, including Oregon-licensed doctors, nurses, paramedics, EMTs, licensed professional counselors, qualified mental health professionals, certified crisis workers, and certified alcohol and drug counselors.
Our coordinating team has more than 125 years of combined experience with event coverage. White Bird Rock Medicine is available for consultation and to help insure compliance with mass gathering regulations specific to your county and local ordinance.
We have a multi-tiered range of services available to suit the desires and needs of the event including basic first-aid and ALS response working under the written standing orders of our medical director, up to and including our full-service response with multiple MDs on each shift, and fully staffed satellite stations. We have radio dispatched coordination of teams in the field, and roving teams move through the venue during peak services times to insure a quicker response.
Our field response team consists of both a medic and a crisis worker to ensure the entirety of a client’s needs are addressed, as well as the family members or bystanders who have been caught up in the strong emotions that are common when there is an injury or something goes wrong during a celebration. We believe this team approach increases safety for patient and staff alike and we strive for clear communication and connection with those we serve.
We employ a service model based on the concepts of harm reduction and hold compassionate non-judgmental care as one of our highest ideals.
Our goal is to support the event and its participants in creating a safe, fun and positive experience for all, and each time we respond we strive to preserve an atmosphere of fun and celebration going on around us as we work to resolve the incident to which we were called.
Ideally, all incidents are dealt with at the venue and do not require transport off-site, which is best for the event, the venue, the local community and, of course, the patient. We do routinely work with local EMS services to coordinate appropriate transport and care when necessary including contact pre-event. White Bird is also able to list your event as secondary insured on our insurance coverage policy for Rock Medicine.